Survive This Economy: Many Stay-At-Home Moms Looking To Rejoin Workforce

CHICAGO (CBS) — Getting a job in this economy is tough enough, but imagine looking for a job after being out of the workforce for seven years.

More than 5 million mothers opt to be stay-at-home moms, but many of them have begun looking to re-enter the workplace.

Sinora Wright, a suburban mother with four children, has been a stay-at-home mom for seven years, but now her four kids are in school full-time, so she’s looking for a job.

CBS 2’s Dorothy Tucker takes a look at what Wright and other moms can do to prepare themselves for the job search.

Laundry is one of the many chores Wright performs every day as a stay-at-home mom. She’s been a homemaker for seven years, but now that the kids are in school all day, she’s not just ready to go to work, she says she needs to.

“We’ll be able to save more, and that’s a goal of mine,” Wright said. “We’ll be able to put more money up for kids’ college fund.”

Before becoming a homemaker, Sinora worked as a paralegal. She has an associate’s degree, and bachelor’s degree, but experts say she’ll still have a tough time finding a job.

“There’s a perception in the business community that there are so many people available that they have a large selection,” said Manpower regional director Anne Edmunds.

With Wright facing stiff competition, Edmunds gave the top four tips Wright and other stay-at-home moms must master before they began their job search:

Number Four: Get job referrals from friends.

Number Three: Look for free job training programs.

“The federal government, the local governments, state governments are offering great training programs in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint,” Edmunds said.

Number Two: Practice interviewing with friends and family.

And Number One: Revise your resume to highlight skills you’ve gained as a homemaker.

“Working at your child’s school and managing, maybe, two or three other mothers or fathers that are helping out at school,” Edmunds said.

Wright said she’s ready to get started.

“I’m confident I have the skills, it’s just showing them that I have the skills, you know, giving me the chance,” she said.

Wright has a lot of work to do and CBS 2 will keep checking in on her progress.